My GCC siblings are so standoffish and skittish....Help ?

I have a pair of GCC's that are siblings, I am almost 100% sure that they are brother and sister. I am not new to birding, have had birds since the late 90's. Chopper, the male (I believe) has a flatter head and is slightly larger and 99% of the time stands in front of his sister Lilly.

They hatched Oct of 2011 so are about 1.5 years old. Chopper is much more likely to "come up" than his sister. Lilly will generally only come up if she see's her brother already on my finger. They have never seen violence, been abused, or anything like that. I have always had the patience of "Job" when handling them, ever after the odd nibble. They are clipped, and not free flighted.

The home they came from was very bird friendly, from what I saw when I was there to purchase them.

I feed good food, Roudybush and fresh fruit with fresh water everyday.

My last GCC was a single and she was so happy to see me everyday when I came home, she would practically lunge at me to be with me. I think she died of loneliness, as I worked during the day, she was only 11 and I never cried that hard in my life, not even at funerals I hate to admit.

I swore I would never be selfish like that again, so this time I got a pair.

Is it just as simple as they don't really need my company ? And if so, how do I remedy this ? I really want the love and interaction I used to get from my little girl that I lost.

Please help, and I apologize in advance if this has already been answered in the forum.

First off, welcome to Paradise! It is great to have new members.

There are other members that are far more knowlegeable than myself, but they may not have seen your post yet.

My two cents (for what it is worth) is that if you house two birds together, they will likely need you less because they have each other. If you want that connection with them like your previous bird, I would suggest that at the least you would need to give each of them their own cage, slightly separated, so that they interact with you more than each other. It does not mean that they can't have time out together, but it also allows you to have each one out independently. Bottom line, if they have each other, they don't need you.

If you keep them in the same room they would be able to talk to each other while you are not home, but not be able to exclude you when you are home because they are playing with each other. It really depends on what you want, I guess. If you want them to be happy and have company, you may need to sacrifice interaction with you. If you want interaction and "love" from them, you may need to separate them.

Having said that, it may not need to stay that way. They have been together since they hatched and don't know anything else right now. Once they get used to being with you, you may be able to move them back in together. As long as they learn how special and fun time is with you, they may still interact with you after reuniting.

Just my thoughts. Again, welcome. I am sure others will chime in soon.

"My two cents (for what it is worth) is that if you house two birds together, they will likely need you less because they have each other."

This.

I agree as well. They are probably more into each other than you. Which is the tradeoff you get by giving them each other as company. Also, how long have your had them? Could they still be adjusting to the new place and people?

I like the suggestion to house them in the same room but separate cages. They could have some play time together out of cage, of course. You could even use that as a "carrot" to get Lilly stepping up for you. If Lilly is still shy, you might try some formal training, such as target-training (where they learn to follow a stick).

I don't actually think birds die of loneliness, FWIW. Our GCC was an only bird for a while, until our flock expanded. As long as they have a good sized cage, plenty of toys, and quality time when you are around, I think they can be quite happy and healthy as only birds. YMMV.